2014 NHL Draft Profile #58: Dominik Masin

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Dominik Masin spent the season in the Czech Junior League with Slavia Praha’s Under 20 team. While I didn’t see any of his play there, he also got quite a lot of international experience playing for the Czech Republic at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, and captaining the Czechs at the 2014 IIHF World Under 18s, where he led the squad to a silver medal. He’s been a regular part of Czech teams for years, playing with the squad at both the Under 17 and Under 16 levels.

Dominik Masin

Dominik Masin has good size and plays an excellent defensive game. It seemed like the Czech coaches had him on the ice for close to 30 minutes a game and always against the other teams’ top offensive lines. He has great hockey IQ, and the ability to read the play. His positioning is excellent, and he breaks up plays with a good active stick. Masin maintains excellent gap control and is very hard to beat one-on-one. He is physical in the corners and in front of the net, and can use his size to throw big hits.

Offensively, Masin’s game has come a long way. He seems to be better offensively at each subsequent tournament. Masin was once only a defensive defender, but now makes strong, heads up passes, both out of his own end to start the rush and in the offensive zone as well. He has become more poised and confident with the puck on his stick as well. Masin still doesn’t have a big slap shot from the point, and he will need to continue to work on that area of his game.

Masin’s skating has also improved over the course of the year. He still needs a bit of work on his edgework but he has improved his speed and mobility over the course of the year. While he’ll never be confused for a speedster, Masin has gotten to a level where his speed is average. His excellent positioning and hockey IQ are able to mask any deficiencies and help him handle speedy players on international ice so he should be all right on North American ice once he learns the new angles to take on the surface.

Dominik Masin’s game is reminiscent of Roman Polak of the St. Louis Blues. This isn’t a talent comparison, but merely a stylistic one. In terms of potential, he could become a physical shut-down defender at the NHL level if he hits his ceiling.

Come back tomorrow to check out another prospect for the 2014 NHL Draft.